. We had torrential rain all day today and now, half the roads in town (including the interstate and other state highways) are closed or washed out. The meandering river that flows through the heart of town is now a force to be reckoned with; I do believe one storefront may have to be torn down as the water overflowed the river banks and the structure, as seen from drone footage someone took, appears now to be IN the river.
I'm seeing cars floating in what was the road, abandoned by their drivers. People on our local FB page opening up their homes to others who can't make it home. They have declared a state of emergency.
I am counting myself extremely fortunate as last I checked my basement remains dry. I attribute that largely to the fact that when I had my back paver patio rebuilt, I knew the grading was bad and specifically asked my mason to slightly tilt the pavers, which run the length of the house, away from the house as much as possible instead of making it level. This turned out to be very effective in keeping water from accumulating near the foundation, and instead it funnels it all down to some old stairs i have which lead to my driveway, and there is a downward slope to the drive, so the water all eventually runs toward the street and storm drains installed there.
Feeling stir crazy, I had actually really wanted to go to my gym, which is just a few miles away, but I'm glad I didn't as they did close that road as well. The sirens have been nonstop since mid-afternoon.
I'm going to cancel an appointment I had Tuesday morning as it may take a while for these waters to recede.
August 19th, 2024 at 04:06 am 1724036761
August 19th, 2024 at 01:36 pm 1724071002
August 25th, 2024 at 08:03 pm 1724612589